“Argh! My foot!”
“Damn it, do you know how expensive this outfit is…”
“Wh-where’s the exit?!”
It had been quite some time since Meredia had caused the disturbance, yet the chaos in the ballroom showed no signs of subsiding.
“Everyone, calm down! First, relight the flames!”
“Th-the candles and all other lights won’t turn on!”
“…What did you say?”
Perhaps it was because of the black gem glowing within Meredia’s hands as she stood motionless amidst the turmoil, but every light source in the ballroom had lost its glow, rendering them completely useless.
“Tsk.”
As panicked guests rushed to escape the ballroom, a man who had been silently observing the situation with a furrowed brow clicked his tongue in irritation and muttered to himself.
“The plan has gone awry.”
The man, who had been disguised as part of the ballroom’s security personnel, was none other than Pedro Gomez, a high-ranking officer of the dark mage organization that had infiltrated today’s engagement ceremony.
He was one of the most notorious figures in the dark magic world, so infamous that the Holy Order had issued an immediate kill-on-sight decree against him.
“Did our information leak in advance? No… If that were the case, they wouldn’t have taken this approach.”
Under his meticulous guidance, their secret operation had been carefully prepared and was only moments away from initiation. However, the sudden turn of events had thoroughly disrupted Pedro’s plans.
“Master!”
“The operation has failed!”
“I already know that. But the plan must still proceed—”
Since their scheme had not completely collapsed yet, Pedro had been about to issue a new command in his usual composed voice when two dark mages, tense and breathless from their hurried approach through the darkness, interrupted him.
“Wait a moment. Why are you two here?”
“Ah, that’s…”
“You were supposed to be monitoring the Saintess!”
Realizing that the two dark mages before him were supposed to be disguised as maids, keeping watch over the Saintess in the waiting room, Pedro’s gaze turned murderous.
“I told you repeatedly that your role in this operation was the most crucial, didn’t I?”
“Th-that is!”
“Did you think I wouldn’t be able to handle an unforeseen variable like this? Get back there immediately!”
As Pedro lashed out and pointed toward the waiting room, the two dark mages hesitated for a moment, glancing at each other, before shutting their eyes tightly and confessing the truth.
“The Saintess has been kidnapped!”
“…Are you joking right now?”
“N-no! It wasn’t us—it was some young man!”
At first, Pedro glared at them with an incredulous look, as if they had just spouted utter nonsense. But soon, his expression began to crack.
“You’re telling me a single person took the Saintess?”
“A-actually, another one appeared shortly after…! We tried to stop them, but it was useless!”
“T-the subordinate swordsman was strong, but for some reason, our dark magic wouldn’t work properly in front of that boy… Ugh!”
As Pedro’s eyes flashed dangerously, the two dark mages, who had been frantically making excuses, suddenly clutched their chests and collapsed to the ground.
—Whoooosh…
“F-forgive me… Aaaaagh!”
“Ah, ahhh…!”
The brand on their shoulders ignited with black flames.
‘If the Saintess has been taken, the plan is a failure. Without her, the ritual cannot be completed.’
Watching with cold eyes as the two dark mages were consumed by the black fire in an instant, Pedro took a deep breath, suppressing his rage, and began reorganizing his thoughts.
‘Given the current situation, we need to withdraw from here with minimal losses.’
Reaching that conclusion quickly, he was about to summon the scattered dark mages positioned throughout the ballroom when—
“Hmm?”
He suddenly realized something and paused.
‘The number of my allies has decreased?’
Just moments ago, he could clearly sense the presence of his subordinates spread across the ballroom, yet now, their numbers had dropped significantly.
“……!”
As he scanned the surroundings with a perplexed expression, Pedro’s eyes narrowed.
‘Someone is systematically eliminating only the dark mages.’
It was only now that he realized—within the shadows, someone was moving swiftly and precisely targeting the dark mages.
‘Judging by the aura, is it a swordsman?’
However, just as he quietly gathered his dark mana, preparing to retaliate, a sudden doubt crossed his mind.
‘But how is a swordsman identifying us so accurately?’
The presence he sensed was undoubtedly that of a swordsman. Yet, even Pedro—who had long adapted to the darkness—found it difficult to discern anything in this pitch-black space. So how was this swordsman able to single out and eliminate only the dark mages with such precision?
Dark magic was often reported in the media in the form of deadly curses and grand rituals, but its true strength lay in its subtlety and secrecy.
At best, one might feel an eerie sense of unease, but to precisely distinguish dark mana to this degree would be nearly impossible unless one was a white mage—natural enemies of dark mages.
“Heh.”
Taking the risk of exposing himself, Pedro expanded his mana detection across the entire ballroom. But the moment he pinpointed the individual orchestrating this chaos, he let out a hollow chuckle and immediately retracted his energy.
‘That bastard is the one who ruined my plan.’
From a secluded corner of the ballroom, a young man was quietly observing the situation—just like Pedro himself—while continuously issuing commands to someone.
‘Damn those insufferable white mages…’
The sheer presence of white energy radiating around the young man was enough to weaken Pedro’s dark mana. That alone was proof that this person was the white mage Pedro had been trying to prevent from attending the engagement ceremony.
‘I must make sure to kill him before I leave.’
Realizing that his carefully laid-out plan had been foiled by a single, unexpected white mage, Pedro gritted his teeth and began moving toward his newfound target.
‘Wait a minute.’
Just then, a chilling sense of unease ran down his spine.
‘Now that I think about it… White mages are supposed to be weak in darkness.’
So how…?
Just as dark mages avoided the blazing sunlight, white mages struggled to exert their full power in complete darkness.
Yet that young man was moving effortlessly through the pitch-black ballroom, identifying and striking down dark mages with ease.
—Swish…
“…!?”
At the moment Pedro’s thoughts reached that conclusion and he hesitated for a brief second, his eyes—trained through years of experience to adapt to darkness faster than others—witnessed an unbelievable sight.
‘Is that guy… looking at me?’
The young man, who had been focused solely on giving commands just moments ago, was now staring directly at him.
‘…Impossible.’
Pedro had long since mastered the art of concealing his presence to evade the relentless pursuit of the Holy Order.
Although he had spread his dark mana throughout the ballroom to assess the situation, it should have been nearly impossible—even for a white mage—to accurately detect someone of his rank in such pitch-black darkness.
“…Hah.”
“……!”
Had it not been for the chilling smile that followed, Pedro might have dismissed it as mere coincidence.
‘I need to get out of here.’
As something far beyond his comprehension unfolded before him, Pedro abandoned his killing intent and poured all of his gathered dark mana into summoning a teleportation circle for escape.
It may have seemed cowardly, but this kind of quick judgment was precisely what had made him one of the most formidable dark mages in the underworld.
‘I’ll retreat for now, but next time…’
And so, despite this event having the potential to spread his infamy even further, Pedro resigned himself to regret as he vanished into the shadows of the teleportation circle drawn beneath him.
‘I will summon a demon into the capital of this empire.’
Thus, the prologue’s demonic summoning ritual—one that would have turned the Saintess and most of the guests into sacrifices—came to an early and unexpected end.
‘I’d like to at least say hello to Lady Meredia, but it looks like I won’t have time for that.’
Meanwhile, the very person responsible for this miraculous turn of events, Whitney, was watching Meredia from afar with a satisfied smile—completely unaware that he had been staring directly at the leader of the dark mages just moments ago.
‘Still, how did Parsha know something like this would happen and prepare a magical artifact in advance?’
Unbeknownst to him, had he realized that he was wearing the night-vision magic tool Parsha had barely managed to hand him before he left the estate—and that he had been using it to single out and give capture orders to Runiel only for those who showed no signs of confusion or attempted to flee—he might have reacted differently.
And had he also known that his overly simplistic plan resulted in even a few naturally cautious individuals getting knocked out by the flat of Runiel’s blade…
‘Well, as long as it all worked out in the end, who cares?’
Pedro, upon learning this, might have grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed in exasperation.
*****
“Everyone, please remain orderly as you move!”
“We suspect dark mages were involved in this incident! If you feel any abnormalities, please step over here…!”
As time passed and dusk approached…
“What a mess.”
Muttering under her breath, Meredia casually strolled past the imperial knights dispatched to restore order, her half-lidded eyes scanning her surroundings.
“They talk big, but they’re all useless.”
Despite her mocking remark, the knights were, in fact, doing their best to track down the culprits.
It was simply that her gem-like eyes defied conventional magic to such a degree that their efforts appeared futile in comparison.
Moreover, since their initial investigation had uncovered numerous traces of dark magic, Meredia—who could technically be considered the root cause of the chaos—easily slipped away, using her status as a duke’s daughter to her advantage.
‘Still, where did that bastard Whitney run off to?’
Even after causing such a massive disturbance, her only concern was Whitney.
‘He was darting around in the dark, then disappeared again, and now he’s nowhere to be seen.’
Part of it was the trouble he had caused her, but more importantly, she had something she absolutely needed to ask him.
She also owed him a small token of appreciation for the handkerchief that was still tied around her hand.
“Hm?”
As she continued her search for Whitney, her gaze was suddenly drawn to a specific spot.
“Lady Meredia~!”
Not anywhere else, but right beside her carriage—where a familiar face was leaning against it, waving at her with a sly grin.
“You didn’t even bother to escort me properly, and now you’re trying to hitch a ride in my carriage?”
“Haha….”
“Where is the carriage you arrived in?”
“Why don’t we talk inside?”
Frowning, Meredia walked up to where Whitney stood, bombarding him with questions, but instead of answering, he simply wiped the sweat off his forehead with an awkward smile and stepped into the carriage.
“…Tch.”
Clicking her tongue at his remarkably casual attitude, she sighed and followed him inside.
“Shameless to the core, as always—”
The moment she stepped in, however, she froze in place, her words cut off.
“Mmmpf! Mmmpf…!”
Inside her carriage, the young lady Hestia—the prince’s fiancée, who had mysteriously vanished from the engagement hall, throwing the knights into a frenzy—was bound tightly with ropes, struggling and squirming.
“…Stay still.”
Beside her, Runiel—drenched in sweat much like Whitney—held a hand over Hestia’s mouth, her voice icy as she issued a warning.
“It seemed like my carriage would get caught at the inspection point…”
“So…”
“Would you mind helping me out one more time, Lady Meredia?”
As Meredia stood there, staring at the scene in disbelief for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Whitney turned to her with a fresh, relaxed smile and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
“…Are you insane?”
This time, it wasn’t annoyance she felt—it was pure, unfiltered shock.
Cliche Novel 